Bosnia: Bosnia edged closer to political crisis last night after the government of the ethnically divided country lost its third Serb minister in four days.
Mr Slobodan Kovac, the justice minister, quit in protest at last week's decision by Bosnia's international high representative, Lord Ashdown, to sack nine Serb security officials for failing to catch war crimes suspects.
Republika Srpska, the region of Bosnia run by Serbs since the end of a 1992-5 conflict with their Croat and Muslim neighbours, lost its prime minister, Mr Dragan Mikerevic, over the same issue last week. Bosnia's foreign minister, Mr Mladen Ivanic, walked out of his job over the weekend in disgust at Lord Ashdown's move.
It was the latest show of frustration from the former British MP, who sacked 59 Bosnian Serb officials last summer for failing to seize fugitive wartime leaders like Radovan Karadzic and Gen Ratko Mladic.
He announced last week that he would unite the police force and defence and interior ministries of Republika Srpska with those of the Muslim-Croat federation, despite fierce Serb objections. Mr Kovac said he - and most Bosnian Serbs - could not support such a move.
"I will submit my resignation," he said. "I would not like to add fuel to the flames, but I will respect the wish of my people."
After resigning on Saturday, Mr Ivanic lambasted Lord Ashdown for trying to force through reforms aimed at creating a united, multi-ethnic Bosnia.
"We do not want to take part in a process that would lead to the creation of a Bosnia without Republika Srpska. This is an attack on us and it is a direct consequence of our opposition to unconstitutional changes," Mr Ivanic said of the recent sackings.
He predicted the resignation of Transport Minister Mr Branko Dokic, a move that would leave Defence Minister Mr Nikola Radovanovic as the only ethnic Serb in Bosnia's central cabinet.
